


Halfway Through

by sarcasticnotsardonic



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Family, Friendship, Gen, Healing, Love, M/M, magnus and maryse bonding over being mundanes, other characters will be added as the fic goes on
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-14
Updated: 2018-10-14
Packaged: 2019-08-01 19:32:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,316
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16290431
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sarcasticnotsardonic/pseuds/sarcasticnotsardonic
Summary: Sometimes you find healing in the most unexpected of places.





	Halfway Through

The first time it happens, he's completely unprepared for it. When he hears a knock at the door, he's not sure who it is, but he never for one millisecond would have thought it'd be Maryse Lightwood.

Magnus tries to hide the surprise - and uncertainty in his tone - "Maryse, hi."

"May I come in?"

"Sure," he says, stepping aside. "This is a surprise. Is everything okay? You know Alec isn't here."

"Everything is fine, and I know Alec isn't here. I'm actually here to see you. I was wondering if you wanted to go out for lunch?"

She sounds eager and earnest.

But lunch? Alone? With _Maryse_? He takes a quick surveillance of the loft. There's a few empty pizza boxes that he's yet to discard and he has an episode of _Stranger Things_ paused on his Netflix. It's not exactly like he can say he has plans. It's nearing one already and he's still in his silk robe and sweatpants.

Lunch with Maryse could be a disaster, but if he's being honest, a disaster would be a nice distraction at the moment. Besides, he's rather tired of pizza.

~~~

They end up in this little cafe a couple of blocks away. Magnus settles on the lobster bisque while Maryse has a Waldorf salad. They both indulge in a glass of Chardonay, albeit with a slight hesitation from Magnus that gives Maryse pause. His tolerance for alcohol isn't what it used to be, not that it was ever the best coping mechanism, but that's a whole other topic for a day that ends in never.

"How's your soup?" 

"It's good. How's your salad?"

"It's okay."

Awkwardness permeates the air. _Hello 911, I have an emergency_ , Magnus thinks, _I'm out to lunch with my boyfriend's mother and we've already exhausted small talk. Help!_

"So, Maryse, what have you been doing with yourself lately?"

"Well, I joined a book club."

Thinking about Jace, Magnus can't help but inquire: "An _actual_ book club?" 

"Is there another kind?" Maryse asks, confusion filling her face.

_Wouldn't you like to know?_

"No, sorry, I just....you know what, it doesn't matter. So, a book club. That's great!"

"It is," she says taking a swig of her wine, and Magnus can tell she's trying to convince him as much as herself that this book club isn't the worst thing in the world. "We're reading _The Bridges of Madison County_." 

"That sounds like fun," he barely manages to puke out, because _yarg_.

She nods. "What about you? Any new interests? Hobbies?"

"Actually, yes. I've been antiquing. Trying to rearrange the loft. It could use a spruce."

"Antiquing sounds lovely, Magnus." She picks up her glass, "A toast. To us. To new adventures"

Magnus obliges because what the hell else is he supposed to do, right?

"To new adventures."

_Cheers to pretending like we're not miserable. Yay!_

~~~

"It's such a beautiful day," Maryse tells him once they're outside, and she's right. It's the epitome of a perfect fall afternoon. "We should go to the park."

"I'd like that," Magnus replies, waving his hands, "I'll portal us there - " and then he stops because, _right_. He can't do that. Maryse is giving him this look that just drips of pity and he wants to crawl into a hole and die. Not really of course, but he hates being pitied. "Sorry. It's like phantom limbs, I suppose."

Maryse waves off his apology, "No need to explain. I'm sure we can find a nice park around here, and I prefer walking. It's my favorite form of exercise since....well, you know."

He knows she's just trying to make him feel better, but in a way, it only makes him feel worse. But at least she's trying.

"I could use a nice walk too."

~~~

They end up at the Promenade, their walk vacillating between uncomfortable silence and mindless chit chat. It's like they're playing a game of Chicken wondering who will swerve. Who will be the person to shatter their polite facade?

In the end, it's Maryse who breaks first. They're sitting on a bench having a walked a good length of the park already. She shakes her head in a familiar manner. That must be where Alec gets it from. 

"I hate _The Bridges of Madison County_."

She looks at him, hoping he'll reveal a similar secret, say something to let her know that she's not the only one faking it here. And honestly, she's not.

"I hate antiquing."

Then they're laughing. Hysterically. So much that people are starting to wonder what's so funny.

"Magnus," Maryse says between tears of laughter and regret, "how did we get here?"

Magnus shrugs and replies "Honestly, Maryse, I have no idea."

Okay, _that's_ a lie. He's here because he couldn't let Alec kill Jace, even if that meant begging Asmodeus. Maryse, well, Maryse's story is far more complicated, marred with bad decisions, blind faith, and quite frankly, ugliness. It's a weird feeling being here with her, knowing what she and the other Circle members intended to do. _Wanted_ to do. To him. To other Downworlders. And yet, right now, she's the closest thing he has to an ally. Try as he might, and he has tried, it's impossible for Alec to imagine what Magnus is feeling. Hell, it''s hardly possible for _Magnus_ to imagine what he's feeling.

There's no guidebook for warlocks who have lost their magic because their greater demon fathers have taken it in exchange for a favor. But Maryse understands. She too has been stripped of her powers. Her identity. She's hurt. She's mad. She's listless. Just like Magnus.

He doesn't blame Alec or Jace even. Shit happens. That's life. He knows it as well as anybody. Shit happens. But knowing it and living with it are two entirely different things. There have been many times in his life when Magnus has felt useless, but this is far more than that.

"Maybe this is what I deserve," Maryse says in a barely-there voice, "for everything I did...especially to you, Magnus. The way I treated you...."

"You don't have to do this. It's in the past."

"Is it though? Valentine aside, how I first handled you and Alec."

"You apologized for that, Maryse. Remember? 'Thank you for loving my boy.' We don't have to do this."

"And you don't have to do that."

"What? What is it you think I'm doing?"

"Pretend like what happened between us was okay."

That gives him pause. He's not sure how to proceed now that Maryse has brought the conversation to this awkward place. The history between the Lightwoods and Magnus has been far from pleasant or ancient even. If anyone had told Magnus six months ago that he'd willingly be spending time with Maryse Lightwood, he would have laughed in their face and told them to go home. They were clearly drunk. But this isn't six months ago. This is here and now and what matters is Magnus is deeply, irrevocably in love with Maryse's son. For better or for worse. Here they are and here they'll stay.

"It wasn't, but how is dwelling on it going to make either of us feel better? You're changing. I can see that. Alec can see that. Besides, whatever you did in your past, you didn't deserve this."

She gives his hand a light squeeze.

"Thank you."

A moment later, her phone buzzes. Her face does this little blushy thing. Same as Alec.

"Everything okay?"

"Yes. It's just Lucian." Magnus raises his eyebrows in question. "We're friends."

"If you say so."

"We are," she proclaims, feigning innocence, but she has a smile a mile wide that she just can't hide. "Well, I should get going." They both stand up. "This was nice. I had fun. We should do it again sometime." 

"That would be a lot of fun."

And you know what? He actually means it.


End file.
